The 5 Biggest AR Trends In 2019

December 21, 2018

Augmented Reality has become a massive part of our everyday lives, from playing games such as Pokémon Go to interacting on social media with Instagram and Snapchat filters. In this blog we’ll look to the future and discuss the biggest trends in 2019 in the augmented reality space.

Mobile AR

The mobile AR market is large and will continue to expand in 2019. The fact that hundreds of millions of people own a smartphone of some kind means that there are hundreds of millions of people already with AR ready devices. Combine this with support and investment from mobile phone makers such as Apple and Google in augmented reality technology, it’s clear that the mobile AR market will continue to grow. Developed by Google and Apple respectively, ARCore and ARKit 2 have made the process of developing and releasing AR ready applications easier for developers. App developers have developed AR based games, training apps, educational apps and other apps using ARCore and ARKit 2. Mobile AR will also continue to grow due to being more accessible than virtual reality. Virtual reality requires a significant investment for most, requiring a high spec PC machine, other accessories, the VR headset itself as well, VR also requires quite a large amount of space, with AR, as I previously mentioned, only requires a smartphone which most consumers already own. Mobile AR will have the major share of the XR market in 2019 with social media, games etc in the future utilising AR technology more and more.

Advertising

One of the biggest trends we’ll see more of in 2019 is the use of augmented reality technology to advertise. Companies have already been using AR to advertise, IKEA is a prime example. IKEA Place is a mobile AR application which allows users to place different furniture and other items within their own home. By being able to visualise how different furniture looks in their own home, users can try before they buy. In theory, this will encourage users to go out and buy furniture they know is perfect for their home. More companies have seen the potential of AR technology and in 2019 more companies will use augmented reality to engage with their customers.

Manufacturing

We’ve spoken previously about what vr and ar can do for the manufacturing industry, in 2019 we see the trend of the manufacturing industry utilising augmented reality technology to become an even bigger trend. AR has been used in the manufacturing industry to train new individuals onsite, to visualise data to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of workers as well as for other bespoke AR applications for specific uses in the manufacturing industry. For example, visualising a piece of equipment that needs to be repaired, with the part needing to be replaced being overlayed on the existing piece of equipment. There are so many ways that AR can disrupt the manufacturing industry, it’ll be interesting to see how AR will affect the manufacturing industry in 2019.

Healthcare

Healthcare in the past has taken advantage of immersive technology, as we spoke about in a previous blog. With the continuing adoption of AR technology, more healthcare groups and companies will look at utilising AR technology. Using AR in training is the most common use of AR. For example, AR technology can be used to train about fundamentals of how the human body works. Due to the accessibility of mobile AR, we’ll be sure to see more augmented reality mobile applications present within the healthcare industry.

Headsets

While we generally talk about mobile AR when speaking about AR, in 2019, there will be a major increase in augmented reality headsets. Microsoft have already released the Hololens, a standalone AR headset that runs an operating system similar to Windows 10. In 2019, Microsoft will continue to support the HoloLens hardware and potentially release a new version of the headset. The Hololens will potentially have competitors with Apple extending their support for augmented reality by releasing their very own standalone headset or if reports are true, AR glasses. Similar headsets like the MagiMask have used existing mobile phone technology to run AR features alongside the headset. With Apple and Microsoft focusing more on AR powered headsets, we’ll eventually see more AR headsets on the market in 2019.

AR and more specifically Mobile AR will look to become the core XR market with games, social media and practical mobile applications utilising AR technology. Here at Pocket Sized Hands, we’re excited to see what the future holds for AR technology in 2019.

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